Office envelop-fastener.



No. 657,439. Patented Sept '4, I900. .1. o. MUENICH.

OFFICE ENVELOP FASTENER.

(Application filed May 9, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES T PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN OTTO MUENICTLOF JEFFERSON, Wisconsin.

QFFICE ENVEL OP-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 657,439, datedSeptember 4, 1900.

' Application filed May 9, 1900. Serial No. 16,090. No model) To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN OTTO MUENICH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Jefferson, in the county of Jefierson and State ofWisconsin, have in vented a new and useful Office'Envelop-Fastener, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fastening devices for envelops, files, and thelike which are commonly tied with a cord or tape, and has for one objectto provide an improved fastening for permanently securing one end of thecord or tape to the file or similar package and also constructed tosecure the opposite free end of the cord after the latter has beenwrapped about the envelopor file.

A further object of the invention is to facili: tate the engagement anddisengagement of the free end of the cord from thefastening and also toprovide for a positive and secure engagement of the free end of the cordwith the device.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be herein after morefully described, shown in the accompanyin g drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion,

size, and minor details may be made Within the scope of the claimswithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of 1 designates the body of afile-wrapper or en-- velop having the free edge or flap 2 to'over-.

lap the adjacent edge of the body in any common or preferred manner, and3 designates a cord or tape which is commonly -wrapped around theenvelop, and the opposite ends of the cord are tied together, so as orfingers 5, which are duplicates: in form.

These parts are preferably struck from a single blank of metal, so as tobe integral, each armor finger being bowedupwardly at an intermediatepoint and having its outer extremityflaredupwardly, so as to form a lip6.

To connect the fastening to the flap portion 2 of the envelop,'said flapis provided with a perforation 7," as indicated in Fig. 2, and the headis placed so that the perforation thereof may correspond to theperforation in the flap, and then an eyelet or rivet 8 is passed throughthe alined perforations, after which the inner end of the-eyelet orrivet is upset againt the inner side of the flap, so as to secure thefastening thereto. Before upsetting the rivet or eyelet the inner endthereof may be provided with a ring or washer 9, so as to prevent thefastening from being torn from the envelop. Prior to the insertion ofthe rivet or eyelet one end 'of the cord or tape is placed beneath theopening in the head, so that the rivet or eyelet carries the cord ortape through the opening in the flap, and when upset the cord or tape isfixedly held to the fastening and also to the envelop. When secured inplace, the outer end portions of the spring arms or fingers rest againstthe adjaoent face of the envelop and the lips 6 flare outwardly and awayfrom the envelop.

To fasten the envelop, it is closed or folded in theusual manner and thefree portion of the cord or tape is wound about the envelop, '-afterwhich the free extremity of the cord is engaged beneath bothspring-fingers and laterally across the head, whereby said cord iswedged beneath the spring-fingers and across the head of the fastening.It will now be ap- [parent thatthe lips at the outer extremities of thespring-fingers facilitate the passage of the cord beneath the fingers.'To-disconnect the cord, it is merely necessary to draw the free endthereof from beneath the spring-fingers, when the cord is free to beunwrapped from the file or envelop.

To provide a more positive engagementof the cord with the fasteningdevice and to preclude the possibility of the former slipping upon the"latter, the head is provided with one or more spurs or prongs 10,preferably a pair thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, which are a designed topierce the cordor tape in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and thus preventslipping of the free end of the cord. The' spurs or prongs are locatedupon that side ef '1 the head from which the fixed portion ef the a cordor tape extends, so that the latter is beneath the pnen gs, andtherefore does not 'interfere' with the engagement of the free end s ofthe cord as the latter passes transversely across theonteraside of the@fixed end thereof. 1: It will of course be understood that instead ofplacing the fastening upon "the flap of iihe i turizng spurs orprongsfor engagement a flexible tie. 2. The combination with a receptacle, ofaf flexible tie, and a fastening or tie-engaging device havingnieansextending through reg" istering openings in, and engaging, said tie andthe receptacle, the fastening being vprovided with one or more springtie-engaging arms.

3. The combination with an envelop, file- 'wrapper'orthe like, of afastening secured thereto, and having one or more prongs or spurs, and acordtor the like, having one end fixedlysecured to the fastening, auditsop posite free end being arranged for engagement with the spare erprongs.

4. A fastening of the class described, cornprisinga head, having anattaching-shank, an outwardly-directed spring arm or finger, one or morelateral spurs or prongs, and a cord having one end fixedly secured tothe fastening and "its opposite free end being arranged fer engagementbeneath the fingerand also with the prongs nor spurs.

5. A fastening-of the elass described, comprising a head struck fromsingle blank-of metal, and provided with a central pertoration, oppositespring-arms, and one "or more spurs or prongs arranged between thefingers,

and an attach-ingriveit-oreyelet received withi in the perforation.

In testimony that claim the foregoing-as my-own I h'ave heretoaffixed mysignature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN OTTO MUENIOH.

